2026 Honda Passport Trailsport Elite - Review by David Colman +VIDEO

Its off-road credentials are beyond reproach!

David Colman

Photos and Story by David Colman
Special Correspondent
THE AUTO CHANNEL

Up In the Air starred George Clooney as a motivational speaker who asked his audience “What’s in Your Backpack?” It was a catchy phrase, and now Honda has turned their 2026 Passport into your backpack. Here’s how they put it: “the Honda styling team in California completely reimagined Passport around a bold backpack design theme that fuses form and function.” Their redesign has created a flashier looking, better organized Passport specifically intended to “resonate with active outdoor lifestyle customers.” It’s a novel concept, and as it turns out, one that works very well on a lot of different levels.

The first thing that sets the 2026 Passport apart from its predecessors is its butch new look. The makeover starts with a boldly redrafted grill that snarls rather than purrs. It’s topped with a longer hood fronted by an air scoop slot that funnels clean oxygen to the muscular V6 through a complex series of foam-lined air ducts. TrailSport Elite models like the one I tested receive orange LED daytime running lights. These DRLs match orange powder-coated, cast-iron recovery hooks mounted beneath the front bumper. The Elite is fitted with a 7-pin receiver hitch (tow limit 5,000lbs.) that also incorporates a pair of recovery points capable of supporting twice the weight of the Passport. Twin exhaust tips are located above and behind the rear valance to avoid snagging the outback. Finally, a TrailWatch system utilizes four camera views to help you navigate obstacles from the driver's seat.

For a cleaner frontal look, Honda has also buried rain-sensing windshield wipers in retraction slots. A beefier, more slanted C-pillar exaggerates the impression of forward motion even at standstill. Thicker black roof rails give the new Passport a higher, more impressive side presence, while a new blacked-out finish to the cargo bay, rear bumper, and aft roof panel looks more businesslike than before. The marproof plastic encourages you to lean your skis or surfboard or camping gear against the body without damaging a more vulnerable painted finish. A bravura touch to the makeover is provided by large monotone “PASSPORT” inscriptions stamped into the front fascia, the steel tailgate, and the dash.

Life inside the revamped Passport gives full credence to the backpack analogy. Everything is where you want it, easy to operate, and mindful of your needs for storage and convenience. Let’s start with the unaccustomed ease in transforming the interior from a five-seat vehicle to a two-seater with tons of storage space. Most SUVs I have tested recently demand some form of research penance before they will allow you to collapse the back seat. All of them present arcane instructions, latches that don’t work, and procedures designed to annoy you. Not so the new Passport. Flip two levers and you’re done with the transition. Manually lift the rear seatbacks, and they click into place with no hassle. So, if you need lots of room (83 cubic feet behind the front seat!), this Passport is your best friend. I slotted my mountain bike into the Honda with no concerns about transom lift over, wheel well interference, or positioning problems whatsoever. In fact, Honda points out that the interior will accommodate TWO full-size mountain bikes if you remove their front wheels. No other manufacturer even discusses such a usage or benefit.

In the case of the top-line Elite TrailSport model I drove, its off-road credentials are beyond reproach. In fact, Honda calls it “the “most capable Honda off-road SUV ever” thanks to its retuned outback biased suspension, and standard 275/60R18 all-terrain General Grabber mudder radials (TW 500). These beefy-looking high riders are mounted on unique 18-inch alloy rims fitted with snag-proof valve stems. The Elite also receives three thick underbody skid plates. Reduced stabilizer bar stiffness rates (-12% front, -70% rear) increase off-road comfort. A Trail Torque Drive system offers Normal, Economy, and Sport settings for street travel, Snow, Tow, Trail and Sand for outback.

While we loved the exterior looks, and the interior logic of this SUV, what we most enjoyed was the potent punch of its 285 hp 3.5-liter V6 powerplant. Sturdy V6 engines, long the stalwart motor for top-line SUVs, have become increasingly unavailable these days, replaced by overstressed four-cylinder units. Well, torque lovers can rejoice when toeing into the throttle of this elegant Honda, because its potent V6 is a barn burner, making 262lb.-ft. of torque at 5000rpm and 285hp at 6100rpm. Driving all wheels all the time through a 10-speed automatic transmission, it’s the cat’s meow for responsive performance

On the paved roads we spent our week testing this Passport, we were perfectly content to leave the mode switch in Normal. Sport mode proved a bit too responsive. We drove the Honda through the aftermath of one of the heaviest storms to hit the West Coast in years, and felt ideally protected from the elements with great traction, excellent driving position, clear visibility in all directions, and reassuring warmth from the standard heated front seats and steering wheel. It is a given that only Honda would be so sensible as to place the steering wheel heat button on the steering wheel instead of making you chase its location all over the map. Given the ferocity of climate change weather, the 2026 Honda Passport TrailSport Elite is your best port in any storm.

2026 HONDA PASSPORT TRAILSPORT ELITE

• ENGINE: 3.5 liter V6, aluminum block and heads, direct fuel injection
• HORSEPOWER: 285hp@6100rpm
• TORQUE: 262lb-ft@5000rpm
• FUEL CONSUMPTION: 18MPG City/23MPG Highway
• PRICE AS TESTED: $54,355

HYPES: Livable, Lovable Backpack Exterior/Interior Design

GRIPES: EPA: $3,750 More Fuel Over 5 Years

STAR RATING: 10 Stars out of 10

©2025 David E Colman